The Three Way
by kellyQ
Summary: UPDATED WITH CHAPTER NINE! Yuma and his cousin, Astral come to a new school. There, they meet old friends and make new ones. Yuma/Ryoga! Yuma/Kaito friendship with Kaito/Haruto brotherly love! Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

The Three Way

Chapter one

By KellyQ

Yuma and his cousin, Astral walked down the school hallway. They both didn't like the idea that had to transfer schools, but here they were, walking down the new hallway.

The new school was a two-story brick building. The property was clean, and a brand new fence around the school.

Astral glanced at his cousin. "I'm sure that we'll make friends."

"That's not what I'm worried about, I just miss my old friends."

"Maybe with some luck, we'll run into one of them."

Yuma nodded his head and they both came to the classroom. Astral opened the door, allowing his cousin to walk in first. The classroom was quiet. The teacher, Mr. Kay stepped away from the life size holograph screen. Astral glanced at the screen to see that it was literature of Moby Bick, while Yuma looked around and to see that the classroom was big. He failed to notice a couple of familiar faces in the crowd, Tori and Bronk.

"Class, this is Yuma and his cousin Astral," Mr. Kay introduced.

Tori was the first to look closely, and her face lit up as well as Bronk's. "Yuma, over here!" Tori blurted out.

Yuma blinked and looked through the third row to see his two childhood friends waving at him.

Mr. Kay smiled. "Why don't you guys tell us a little bit about yourselves."

"I'm Yuma and this is my cousin Astral. We moved here just a few days ago. I like to play games and sports."

"I'm Astral. My hobby is learning new things and helping people," Astral explained.

"Any questions?" Mr. Kay asked glancing around the room. "No? Why don't you guys sit next to Tori and Bronk? They seem to know you."

Yuma and Astral walked over to their friends. Tori shifted so that she was facing them. She got up and hugged Yuma. "I'm glad to see you!"

Astral nodded his head. "Yuma was hoping that he would meet a familiar face, and his wish was granted."

Tori and Yuma pulled away as they both sat down. Astral glanced around the room. He noted that most of the students didn't look that friendly. Three stood out among the rest. The tallest had long blue hair that went past his hips. He had cold navy blue eyes. He went by the name of V.

The second one had two color shades of hair. The right side was yellow, and the left side was purple. He had thick eyebrows, and a scar ran down the left side of his face. His purple eyes held cruelty in them, and the smirk on his face was mocking. He went by the name of IV.

Behind him was a quiet boy with dark pink fluffy hair. He had emerald green eyes that held kindness, and his smile was warm. The outfit he wore was all pink and white. He went by the name of III.

Yuma noticed them. He shivered and adverted his gaze back to the front of the classroom.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day past uneventfully for Yuma and Astral, the two met up with Tori and Bronk at the school entrance. The rest of the kids filtered out of the school, heading home.<p>

"So, how do you like it here, so far?" Tori asked.

"Just fine, but what can you tell me about the three students that gave off hostile vibes?" Astral asked.

"Oh, you mean the three who are numbers?" Bronk spoke up. "I'd stay away from them. Especially IV. He's known for his brutal methods of getting what he wants."

"He gave me the creeps," Yuma chimed in, remembering the look that IV had.

"Hopefully, we won't have to deal with them," Tori reassured.

"Anyways," Astral cut in, "we should get going. Yuma and I have a lot of homework to do." Yuma groaned in response. "It was good to see you. Come, we need to get home before it get's any later, your sister will not be happy."

Tori chuckled and shook her head. "I'm glad that you guys are here. We'll have to spend more time with each other, now that you are here."

"That sounds like fun," Bronk chimed in. "How about we exchange phone numbers, considering that we couldn't do it last time."

They pulled out their D-Gazer's and started to pass them around. Once they got the information, Yuma and Astral went to one direction as Tori and Bronk went to another.

To Be Continued …


	2. Chapter 2

The Three Way

Chapter Two

By KellyQ

The second day at school went by smoothly. Tori, Bronk, Astral, and Yuma made their way to the cafeteria. Once in the room, the line was long, and people milled about. III, IV, and V were nowhere to be seen, so that left a little less tension in the air. Yuma was the first to notice a student sitting all by himself at one of the tables. He had purple hair that went to his shoulders, and it curled out like a hook. It reminded Yuma of a squid. He had sharp blue eyes, and flawless pale skin. He wore a black tank top, an unbuttoned purple blouse that hung around him like a trench coat. He went by the name of Ryoga.

"Tori, who is that sitting by himself over there?" Yuma asked, getting his friends attention. He was pointing to Ryoga.

"Oh, him? That is Shark –" Tori started to share.

"That's an odd name!" Yuma interrupted.

"That's his nickname," Bronk spoke up, "his real name is …" he paused when Yuma started to make his way over to where Ryoga was sitting. "Oh boy …" Bronk groaned, rubbing his temples.

Yuma smiled as he glanced at Ryoga. "Hi, there! Can I sit with you?"

Ryoga shifted and looked to his right to see Yuma standing there with his two other friends. Ryoga blinked a few times at the new people standing there.

Without hesitation, Yuma sat down. "Hi there, I'm Yuma. This is my cousin Astral, and my friends, Tori and Bronk! You're Shark, right?" Ryoga shifted in his seat and got up. Yuma frowned and watched him walk away. "Hey!"

Bronk shook his head. "You should be careful. He's not friendly."

Yuma smiled, "I think he's cute."

Astral raised a brow, "I had no idea you were gay."

Yuma flushed a little, "shut up, Astral …" he mumbled.

* * *

><p>After lunch, the three went to their separate classes. Astral and Yuma went to science class, while Tori and Bronk went to art class. Yuma grumbled about being class as he and his cousin sat down. Other students started to come in a few minutes later. Astral watched one student with bright yellow hair that styled like a strawberry. He had peach colored skin and navy blue eyes that held confidence. He went by the name of Kaito. Yuma noticed him too.<p>

Kaito opened the first book, and started to read through it. Astral watched with interest. He couldn't see what the text was but the picture was a cell.

"Un … excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice the picture is a cell in your body. What cell is it?"

"The Mitochondria," Kaito answered, turning the page.

Yuma flinched in confusion. "The what?"

Astra's eyes widened. He just then remembered that he and Yuma had to read a chapter regarding that subject.

"It's a cell that gives you energy," Kaito answered, turning another page, after reading it.

The teacher came in right then. She was a plump middle-aged woman; she wore a red blouse and a matching skirt. Her rich brown hair was in a bun, and she had on light makeup.

"All right class, we are going to work in pairs and discuss what was read about The Mitochondria." Some of the students groaned. "I'm going to have Kaito work with Yuma and Astral …"

Kaito grumbled and tuned the teacher out. Yum and Astral did too, as they both sat across from Kaito.

"Can you give us the reader's digest version of what you've learned?" Astral asked, getting straight to the point. "Yuma and I forgot to do the homework."

"Like I said, it's a cell that gives you energy. If the mitochondria malfunctions, you end up having all of these health problems," Kaito explained.

"What type of health problems?" Astral asked, confused.

Kaito had a dissent look in his eyes, "you lose the energy to speak. You can't walk, and you end up having tremors."

The teacher cleared her throat getting everyone's attention. "Alright, return to your sets. Everyone got up and went back to their desks. The teacher glanced around the room. "Kaito …" he glanced at the teacher. "Can you come up and give your personal experience about living with The Mitochondrial disease."

Kaito narrowed his eyes and got up. He walked to the front of the class, turned around and glanced around the room. Kaito took a deep breath, ready to tell his story.

To Be Continued …


	3. Chapter 3

The Three-Way

Chapter Three

By KellyQ

Kaito walked up the steps to his condominium. He opened the door and was greeted by a three-foot tall android on wheels called Orbital-7. The robot had a long neck, a small round head, a pair shaped body. Its eyes were in a shape of binoculars and a metal mouth that moved up and down when it spoke. Sticking out from the side of its head were two yellow speakers.

Behind him in a wheelchair was his little brother, Haruto. He didn't have the same appearance Kaito. Haruto was small and frail. His short frosty-blue hair curved around his cheekbones like a vine; His lime-green eyes held a spark. Haruto wore a black shirt with matching pants.

"_Welcome home, Kaito-sama," _Orbital-7 said, moving out of the way.

Kaito stepped in and smiled when he saw his little brother. Haruto's face lit up and he giggled. Kaito leaned over and hugged his little brother, as Haruto tried to hug back when he was having tremors. Kaito pulled back and kissed Haruto on the forehead after he moved some hair away from his little brother's face.

_**Kaito got up and made his way to the front of the classroom. He took a deep breath, before he turned to face the students. "My name is Kaito, and I live with mitochondrial disease. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago. The symptoms I had before I found out I had it was feeling nauseous, not having energy, loosing bone mass, and I couldn't digest my food properly. What helped me was changing my eating habits, taking vitamin D supplements, and knowing all I can. My little brother has it too, but worse …" he paused for a moment, "He has Mitochondrial **_**Encephalopathy**_**. He can't walk or talk, but he's happy and that's all that matters." **_

"_Kaito-sama …" _Orbial-7 called out watching them.

Kaito blinked and stood up. He sidestepped the wheelchair as Orbial-7 rolled backwards, took hold of the wheelchair and rotated the chair. Orbial-7 followed Kaito into the living room. Orbial-7 watched Kaito carefully lift Haruto out of the chair and laid him on the floor.

"_Do you want something to drink Kaito-sama as you do homework?"_ Orbaial-7 asked.

Kaito nodded his head, as he got comfortable on the floor in-between his brother and the coffee table. Orbaial-7 rolled out of the living room, and came back with a tray of natural Orange Juice. Kaito had pulled out his D-Gazer and placed it over his earlobe by this point. Three holographic images of computer Windows displaced the Internet. Orbial-7 carefully moved to the coffee table and placed the drink on the table.

* * *

><p>Across town, Yuma glanced at his cousin to see that he wasn't paying attention to homework. When they got home after school Yuma and Astral pulled out their textbooks and station themselves in the large spacious living room to work. It didn't take long for Yuma to know what Astral was thinking about. <em>Can a disease really be that bad?<em> Yuma thought. _The way Kaito described mitochondrial disease, it sounded like your life was robbed_. They were so deep in thought; Yuma and Astral didn't realize that Hikari–Yuma's older sister, and Astral's older cousin came in with a tray of gluten-free/dairy-free snacks of crackers, cheese and Turkey slices.

Hikari was five-foot tall seventeen-year-old with dark lavender hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Her Highlights in her long side bangs helped shaped her face. Hikari ware a vest over her frosty blue shirt and hip-huggers white pants.

Yuma looked up to see the tray placed next to him and Astral. "Food!" Yuma took two crackers a slice of cheese, and turkey. He put it all together and started to eat.

"Astral, aren't you going to eat?" Hikari asked, sitting across from them. She took a piece of turkey and munched on it.

"There's this student in class," Astral shared. He paused for a moment, wondering how he was going to explain things about school.

Hikari blinked a few times. "Oh, that's right. How was your guys second day?"

Yuma swallowed the last bite. "Great! I met this guy by the name of Shark at lunch. I tried to sit next to him but he left before we could know each other. The health teacher gave us homework all about the mitochondrial disease."

"A Student in class even has it," Astral said, taking a cracker and munching on it with a thoughtful expression.

"It sounds like the school is going to be a good one," Hikari said, getting to her feet just as their grandmother walked in.

She was no taller then three-feet. Her gray hair was neatly tied back in a bun. Her wrinkled old face showed a lot of love and compassion. The old lady also wore a dark red vest over her pink kimono.

"So … my two grandsons are enjoying the school I take it? Any new friends yet?" Their grandmother asked.

"Not yet, but I'm hoping to! Tori and Bronk go to the same school too! When I first saw them, I was happy to see them!" Yuma said enthusiastically.

The grandmother smiled. "I'm happy for you." The old woman was. She loved to see her grandsons be happy, and she was going to make sure of that.

To Be Continued ..


	4. Chapter 4

The Three-Way

Chapter 4

By KellyQ

Yuma glanced at the school clock to see that it was two minutes before lunch. Oh, _come on! How much longer do I have to wait? I'm hungry!_

"All right, class dismissed," the teacher said.

The bell rang, and the students made their way out of the classroom. Yuma quickly dashed out the door. Astral, Bronk, and Tori shook their heads and took their time to get to the cafeteria. Astral was the first to notice IV heading in the same direction before Tori and Bronk.

IV scanned the cafeteria and spotted Ryoga sitting by himself. A cruel smirk made its way to IV's lips. It faded when he saw Yuma making his way over. He sat across from Ryoga and placed his lunch bag on the table.

"You don't mind if I sit with you, do you?" Yuma asked.

Ryoga glanced up for brief moment before he went back to eating. Yuma pulled out his lunch and started to eat. The two ate until IV made his way over and wrapped his arms around Ryoga. Yuma observed for a moment; he could tell that Ryoga was uncomfortable.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend, _Sharky_?" IV asked with sarcasm.

Yuma was about to reintroduce himself when two shadows loomed over the table. They rotated their heads to the left and saw III and V standing there. V gave his brother an intense look as III shook his head.

"You know better than to come in here, IV," III said, watching his brother pull away from Ryoga. IV chuckled and followed V out of the cafeteria. "Sorry about my brother. He doesn't understand boundaries," III explained giving them a curtsey. He turned and walked out of the room.

"Shark, wait! Where are you going?" Yuma asked when he saw Ryoga shift in his seat and stood up.

"Class," he answered. Ryoga packed his own lunch into his bag and headed out.

Yuma blinked a few times to notice that Bronk, Astral, and Tori were standing right there. The bell rang at that exact moment. Yuma packed his lunch and followed his friends out. Tori and Bronk went to their art class as Astral and his cousin walked into their health class.

They both blinked a few times when they saw Kaito sitting next to a nine-year-old boy in a wheelchair. _That has to be Kaito's little brother, _Astral thought, observing Kaito feeding Haruto plain Coconut Yogurt_: _Greek Style.

Yuma walked up with curiosity. "Is this your little brother?"

"Yes," Kaito answered, dipping the spoon in the yogurt and bring it to Haruto's lips.

Astral walked up and watched for a moment. Haruto glanced at them and smiled. The necklace around Yuma's neck in a shape of a key shined in the light interested Haruto. He tried to reach for it, but Kaito took a gentle hold on his brother's hand and guided it back to his lap.

"That's not ours," he pointed out.

Yuma blinked, "Oh, this thing?" Yuma held up the key hanging around his neck. "He can look at it." He pulled it over his head and dangled it in front of Haruto. Yuma frowned when Haruto was having difficulty taking the jewelry. "Here." Yuma took a firm hold of Haruto's wrist.

"Be careful, Yuma!" Astral pointed out, because Haruto looked uncomfortable, and Kaito was ready to yank Yuma's hand away from Haruto's arm.

Yuma carefully let go of Haruto's wrist. "Sorry about that."

"Here. Why don't you let me see that," Astral said holding out his hand. Yuma gave the pendant to his cousin. Astral handed it to Kaito.

He gently took it and held it out for Haruto. "It's okay to touch it," Kaito said. Haruto smiled and reached out to touch the pendant. "It's pretty isn't it?"

Astral watched for a moment until he and the other students started to come in. Kaito handed the jewelry back to Astral as the last minute bell rang. The health teacher came in as Kaito got up and made his way over to the desk, handing her a note.

"You may go," she said after reading it.

Yuma blinked. He observed Kaito pack his stuff and heave the heavy bag over his shoulders. Kaito step behind the wheel chair and made his way to the door. _I wonder where he's going? _ Yuma thought, watching him wheel Haruto out of the classroom.

The door closed as Kaito rotated the wheel chair to the right. Standing three feet away was a tall muscular man with dark red hair that spiked up like a torch. His name was Gauche. He had copper colored skin and dark blue eyes. He wore dark red pants, dark red shirt, and black fingerless gloves. Standing next to him was a sleek woman named Droite. She wore white high heals, a tight white mini skirt, a red and white vest over her dark purple turtleneck.

"Hi, Kaito." Droite smiled. She walked up and hugged Kaito tenderly in her arms.

Haruto giggled as Gauche knelt down and hugged him. Kaito smiled at the scene. It warmed his heart when his little brother was happy.

"Shall we get going?" Gauche suggested as he pulled back.

"I'll take your bag for you," Droite offered, taking a gentle hold of the strap of the heavy backpack.

Kaito shrugged the backpack off with her help. Droite managed to get the heavy bag over her shoulders, and they were ready to leave.

To Be Continued …


	5. Chapter 5

The Three-Way

Chapter 5

By KellyQ

The rest of the day passed uneventfully for Yuma and his cousin. They went home with no homework, and that gave Yuma time to think more about what took place at school. He wanted to be friends with Kaito and Ryoga. _The question is how,_ Yuma thought. He was in the attic lying comfortably in his hammock, trying to figure out how he was going to make friends with those two. _I'll have to ask Tori if she has any classes with Shark,_ Yuma thought.

"That's it!"

Yuma jumped out of the hammock, climbed down the ladder–almost missing a couple of steps in the process. His school bag sat right there. Yuma opened it up and dumped out the contents. A health book, one comic book, cookie crumbs, and a crumbled up paper lunch bag. However, no D-gazer.

"What are you looking for?" Astral asked, walking up.

"My D-gazer. I want to call Tori and ask her if she has any classes with him." Yuma took his bag again, turned it upside down, and shook it.

" 'Him'?" Astral repeated seeing his cousin's shoulders droop. "Are you talking about Shark?" Yuma sighed. "Have you tried your back pocket?"

Yuma blinked a few times. He reached into his back pocket and felt what he was looking for. Yuma pulled out his D-gazer and placed it over his earlobe. He placed the glass part over his eyes, and pressed a few buttons. Yuma waited for a good moment until a holographic computer window appeared. Tori did not look pleased that she was interrupted.

"_**Yuma…?" **_

He chuckled nervously. "Hey, Tori. Is Shark in one of your classes?"

Tori frowned. "_**Yes. Why?"**_

Yuma laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "No reason …"

Tori sighed. "_**Yuma … you shouldn't get involved with Shark. He's nothing but bad news."**_

Confusion flashed across Yuma's face. "What's wrong with wanting to be Shark's friend?"

Tori sighed. "_**He just gets into a lot of trouble, that's why!"'**_

Yuma frowned, trying to process what all that meant. _She must be talking about IV!_ That thought worried Yuma. "I'm going to help Shark, Tori!"

Astral, who was standing three feet away, raised a brow. "Yuma …"

Tori groaned in annoyance. "_**Fine. What is it that you want me to do?"**_

"Nothing really. I just wanted to know because of IV. He seems to like to pick on Shark-"

"_**Which is all the more the reason to stay away from Shark!"**_ Tori pointed out.

"Yuma … you shouldn't get involved with what's going on with those two," Astral advised. He was standing behind his cousin. "You're going to get hurt."

Yuma sighed. They did have a point, but he had a strong feeling that if Shark was left a lone with IV, something bad was going to happen. "Anyways, thanks, Tori."

The green-haired girl grumbled and closed the holographic window. Yuma plucked the D-gazer off his earlobe and put it in his bag.

"I just don't understand why you guys think it's more important that I don't get hurt. What about Shark? He probably doesn't have any friends," Yuma spoke up. He climbed up the ladder with his cousin following close behind. Yuma heaved himself into the hammock and manage to roll so that he could lay properly in it.

Astral sighed. "I know that you said that he was _cute_. But why are you so focused on Shark? Do you like him that much?"

Yuma looked away from his cousin and sifted in his hammock so that he was facing the small window. "No. I..I just think it's sad that he doesn't have any friends."

Astral sighed again knowing that Yuma never liked it when people made decisions for him. After a few moments of staring at his cousin, Astral turned and walked over to the ladder. "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Yuma continued to lie there, staring out the window until Astral called him down. Yuma got out of his hammock and made his way to the kitchen to see that the table was set. He sat down and started to eat.

"You had no homework?" Akari asked. When Yuma and Astral came home after school, she noticed that they didn't sit down in the living room and went to work.

"No. But there's this bully that keeps on picking on Shark during lunch." Their grandmother glanced up with concern. "He also doesn't have any friends which I find sad."

"Is he a classmate of yours?" his grandmother asked.

Yuma looked down. "No. I only see him at lunch."

"I see," his grandmother commented, not liking how her grandson sounded so lost. "Have you tried to talk to him?"

A light blush made it's way to Yuma's cheeks. "I would like too, but Shark doesn't say anything."

"I'm sure you'll think of something to get him to be your friend," his grandmother said, giving her grandson a confident look.

Yuma glanced up and smiled. "Thanks, grandma."

To Be Continued ….


	6. Chapter 6

The Three-Way

Chapter 6

By KellyQ

Yuma rushed down the school hallway hoping to get to his class early and ask the teacher, Mr. K to let him go early for lunch so that he could be in the cafeteria before IV had a chance to do anything to Ryoga. Mr. K looked up when the door open to see his favorite student standing there catching his breath.

"Why Yuma, what are you doing here so early?" Mr. Kay asked casually.

Yuma caught his breath and made his way over to the table. "I was wondering if you would let me go to the cafeteria early, so I can meet up with a new student that's having trouble knowing where some places are."

A respectful look made its way to the teacher's face. "I don't see any harm of you doing that."

"The actual reason why my cousin wants to leave early is because he believes that Shark is in some sort of trouble with another student named IV," came Astral's voice.

Yuma whipped around and stomped his foot, throwing his arms over his head and pointed an accusing finger at his cousin. "Stay out of this, Astral! This is between me and Mr. K!"

Astral sighed and walked over to his desk and sat down. "You can do whatever you want. I'm not going to argue with you about this situation any longer."

Mr. K smiled at the thought of the whole situation. He understood where Astral was coming from, but he didn't see harm of Yuma trying to make some new friends.

"I'll let you go this one time, but in the future you're going to have to leave when the bell rings. Is that understood?"

Yuma turned and beamed. "I knew that you would let me do it just once, despite if I lied or told the truth."

By this point, the students were starting to come in. IV, III, and V came in at single file just as Yuma turned around. He gave IV a look as he sat down and acted like nothing happened.

Mr. K. got up and started the lesson. Yuma listened through half of what Mr. K was teaching when he really wanted the time to go by so he could go see Ryoga.

* * *

><p>Time flew by for Yuma and he was ready to leave. He was out of classroom before anyone knew what was really going on. He made his way into the cafeteria and realized that he was early. He sat down and looked up just in time to see Ryoga walking in.<p>

"Hey, Shark! Over here!" Yuma hollered, rising to his feet and waving his right hand.

Ryoga closed his eyes, debating on whether or not to sit at his usual spot that was now invaded, or find a new spot to eat his lunch. Yuma frowned when he noticed that Ryoga was still standing there with an irritated look on his face.

Yuma got up and made his way over to Ryoga. "Come on, sit down and eat!" Without hesitation, Yuma grabbed Ryoga by the wrist and pulled him to their table. Yuma sat down, got out his lunch and started to eat.

"What do you want?" Ryoga asked after a few minutes of watching Yuma.

Yuma swallowed a bite of his sandwich, rotated his head and glanced up at Ryoga. "Nothing. I just want to be able to sit with you. Now sit down and eat."

Ryoga narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "It's obvious that you want something from me, now spill it."

Yuma looked offended. He was about to counter back when the lunch bell rang, and people started to push their way into the cafeteria. IV walked in and smirked as he made his way over. _This should be amusing, _he thought calling out Ryoga's nickname in a mocking sweet manner. Yuma turned his head and anger flashed across his face. Ryoga closed his eyes and turned his head when IV wrapped his arms his shoulders.

"When are you going to introduce me to your new friend, _Sharky?_" IV asked the same sickly sweet tone.

Yuma got to his feet and was about to confront IV, but Ryoga jerked out of his grasp and started to walk out of the cafeteria. Yuma glared at IV with hate before he went after Ryoga. Amusement flashed across IV's face as he watched Yuma run out of the cafeteria. He continued to look for Ryoga until the bell rang for class.

Yuma groaned and made his way to health class to see Astral waiting for him. They both walked in and took their seats. The rest of the students came in and sat in their own seats. Yum and his cousin were hoping to see Kaito walk in but he didn't show up. Instead V came in and took a seat just as the last bell for class to start rang.

The health teacher came in and started her lesson. Everyone pulled out their textbooks and turned to the page that was assigned. Yuma couldn't help but stare at the back of V's head and noted that his hair was longer than he thought. Astral was aware of it too. He had to admit that V was an attractive male.

"V, can you come up here and give us a diagram of the mitochondrial cell?" The health teacher spoke up, snapping Yuma and Astral out of their thoughts.

V nodded his head and rose to his feet. He calmly walked to the front of the class with his D-Gazer already to show a virtual hologram. The rest of the lesson was very boring. Yuma tuned everything out. He was more worried about Shark and why Kaito wasn't in class.

To Be Continued …


	7. Chapter 7

The Three-Way

Chapter 7

By KellyQ

After school, Yuma grumbled the whole way home. He had hoped that if he got Ryoga to sit down, they could've had a good start. _And_ _why wasn't Kaito in class today, _he thought.

Astral watched his cousin from the corner of his eye and sighed. "I told you that trying to get Shark to be your friend wasn't going to work."

The two walked into the house and their grandmother was standing in the middle of the living room when they entered.

"I'm still not going to give up!" Yuma protested. "He needs a friend and besides, I would be a lot better friend than IV!"

"After your hasty retreat from the class room and your failed attempt to get him to sit with you," Astral pointed out, as Yuma scoffed and turned his back on him, "I would think that you would want something from me too, if I were Shark…" Astral paused when his cousin shifted a little. "Wouldn't you think that way if –"

Before Astral finished, Yuma ran out of the room. He sidestepped his older sister when she walked past, and made his way to the attic. He climbed up the ladder and walked to the hammock. Yuma heaved himself into it and rolled so he was lying properly in it.

"Yuma …" He turned to see his grandmother making her way other. She sat down. "There are plenty of other people that you could be friends with," she suggested.

Yuma sighed. "I guess I shouldn't take the whole thing of Shark and IV personally. It's just that I don't want him to get hurt, that's all."

His grandmother nodded her head. "I'm sure he'll come around, and when he does-try talking to him—I'm sure he'll let you in." Those words comforted him. "What else did you do today?" she continued.

"One of the students from health class, named Kaito wasn't there. I hope that he'll be there tomorrow so I can get to know him too."

* * *

><p>Across down, Droite thought about Kaito too. She had always admired him for his bravery in the face melancholy. Droite's instincts had all ways guided her until one night coming home; she was cornered by some back-alley men that wanted to have some <em>fun. <em>Kaito happened to be walking by and saw what they were doing to her. He immediately rushed to her defense, kicking and pushing them off.

Kaito rushed her straight to the hospital after the men fled. He had Droite stay there for a couple of days, making sure she got the best treatment. Droite spent the time thinking of the man who saved her, and when she was ready to leave, he was waiting for her in the lobby.

Kaito leaned against the wall, looking at nothing particular. He had straight posture, and confidence raided off his body even though he was not muscular, he was lean.

"How are you feeling?" Kaito asked her in a soft caring tone.

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you."

They started to see each other after that, meeting every forth night. One night Kaito brought Haruto with him. Droite watched with interest. She was aware that Kaito was very protective of his little brother. Later, Droite became more understanding about how Kaito felt about wanting his little brother to be happy.

To Be Continued …


	8. Chapter 8

The Three-Way

Chapter 8

By KellyQ

V snapped out of his thoughts when IV walked into the living room with a pink book in his hand. V glanced up from the book he was reading and eyed him for a moment. The look on IV's face told him that something was going on.

The large spacious living room gave off a homey feeling. It was carpeted with a light tan rug, one soft gray couch, a tea table the right side of the couch. On the left wall was a portrait of the family. Facing the couch was a large window overlooking their back yard. The right side of the room was fireplace, and a chandelier hanged from the ceiling.

III came in a second later, looking embarrassed as he tried to take the book back from his brother. IV made sure that his back was turned as he shifted back and forth so III couldn't reach it. "Can I have my diary back, please?"

A playful look made its way to IV's face as he turned around and dangled it over his brother's head in a teasing gesture. More embarrassment flashed across III's face, knowing that his brother was not going to get his diary soon.

V sighed. "IV, just give the book back before you damage it." An amused expression appeared on IV's face as his brother continued. "You wouldn't like it if I snatched something of great importance of yours and broke it, would you?"

"You're the one to talk. What about what happened between you and Kaito? What happened then is no different from what's going on right now," IV taunted, turning to face his brother, unaware that he just hit a touchy subject and what he said made no sense.

III watched with anxiously. V closed his eyes, knowing better to confront his brother, because IV would counter back with some bit of nonsense. "IV, just give your brother his book back."

IV scoffed, turned and thrust the pink book back to his brother before walking out. III clutched his diary before he glanced where his brother sat. V had just rose to his feet and walked over to the window. Not too long ago, the weather shifted from being partly cloudy to the rain coming down hard.

"Uh … V … are you okay?" III asked timidly.

"Yes." V paused for a moment. "III …?" his brother 'hmm'ed in response. "Next time, keep your diary hidden from IV, okay?"

III nodded his head and left before watching his brother sigh. V stood there for a moment. He had hoped that he had forgotten that incident he had a couple of years ago with Kaito.

* * *

><p>The rain hadn't let up for two weeks. Yuma continued to look for Ryoga, but he had no such luck, and Kaito still hadn't come back to school. Yuma groaned as he and his cousin walked into the health classroom one day to see Kaito sitting there in his usual spot.<p>

"Kaito!" Yuma quickly went over to him with a big grin on his face. "Hey, buddy. Where have you been?"

"I've been taking care of Haruto; he had been really sick, and some friends of mine have been visiting," Kaito answered, making quick eye contact before the door opened.

They turned their heads to see V walk in, and the tension in the room spiked up. Yuma was the first to notice the flicker of emotion in both Kaito and V's eyes. He and Astral sat down just as the teacher walked in. The bell rang as the rest of the students made their way in and took their seats.

The lesson began when the health teacher rose to her feet. "Today, I'm going to have you pair up like you did three weeks ago. I'm going to have Yuma and Astral pair up with Kaito and V." she continued to ramble who were going to pair with the up-coming project. "The project is going to be a presentation about the mitochondrial disease—what the symptoms are, how you get diagnosed, and what you can do to improve their quality of life. Now get with your partners, the project is due in three weeks."

Kaito was the first to get up and walk up to the teacher with a peach colored folder, when she sat down. The sounds of chairs and desks scrap along the cold-checkered floor reached his ears. He looked over his shoulder to see the rest of the students moving the chairs and desks around.

"Yes?" the teacher questioned, looking up. Kaito returned his attention back to the teacher and handed her the folder. The health teacher opened it up to see that it his homework all done and professionally organized. "Thank you. You may take your seat."

Kaito nodded his head. He turned around and walked over to where his _group_ was. Astral, Yuma, and V had arranged their chairs in a circle. Astral had a notebook on his lap and a green pen in his right hand. V had pad of paper on his lap and a blue pen in his right hand.

"How should we do the project? Should we demonstrate it with a slide show?" Astral asked, glancing around the group.

"I suppose we do that," V spoke up. "We could meet up at the library after school—"

"That won't work," Kaito cut in hastily. He wasn't ready to interact with V and he could do the whole project himself.

"Why not?" Yuma asked confused, glancing at Kaito.

"What about before school?" Astral suggested, reading the vibes from Kaito that he had a lot to do after school.

"Huh?" Yuma turned toward his cousin with a scowl on his face. "You know I hate getting up early, Astral!"

Kaito sighed. "Fine. We can meet at the library in the morning."

"What time should we meet?" V asked.

"How about 7 in the morning," Astral answered.

The bell ran before Yuma could protest. The rest of the students started to put the chairs and desks back in order before they started to walk out.

"We should have each other's phone numbers, just in-case one can't make it, we'll know what do," Astral said, pushing his own desk and chair in its right position.

"Great idea!" Yuma said. He paused and pulled out his D-Gazer and put the earpiece over his earlobe.

V, Kaito and Astral pushed their chairs and desks in their right position. They pulled out their D-Gazers and exchanged numbers.

To Be Continued …


	9. Chapter 9

The three-way

Chapter 9

By KellyQ

Morning drizzle came down onto the city, creating a light mist. A loud yawn escaped from the back of Yuma's throat as he and his cousin made their way to school. He grumbled about the whole thing of having to wake up early; he wasn't used to getting up at six in the morning. He was used to getting up and only having ten minutes to get ready before he and Astral left for school.

They entered the school grounds to see a couple of students were milling about as they entered inside the building. Astral and Yuma made their way down the quiet hallway, and they stopped in front of a blue door with the label: LIBRARY on the glass window.

Astral opened the door and they walked in. On the right side of the large spacious room were chairs and long tables. Mixtures of students were sitting there, among them were Kaito and V looking at V's laptop. The left side was six rows of shelves containing various types of books and Mangas.

Astral and his cousin made their way over to the table and put their damp shoulder bags next to their feet. V rotated the laptop to show Yuma and Astral that he had a couple paragraphs and a picture of a mitochondria cell. "This is a good start," Astral acknowledged after reading it. "I did some research myself that might help with what you got." He pushed the chair back and grabbed his bag. Astral pulled out a folder that had a picture of numbers on it. He opened it up and pulled out three copies of a list of various types of mitochondrial diseases. He handed Kaito and V each a copy. "This could work," Astral started to explain. He put the folder in his shoulder bag and placed it by his side as he pushed himself closer to the table. "We could put what you have at the beginning and list what different types there are …"

Yuma glanced away, feeling like he was going to fall asleep. He scanned the room until he heard the door open. Yuma shifted in his chair and his face lit up to see the one person he had been looking for. "Shark!"

Everyone around the room paused at what they were doing and eyed Yuma for a moment. He had already gotten up and made his way over to Ryoga was. Standing next to him was a girl with the same colored hair but longer. It parted in the back, and her bangs hung around her thin face. She had peach soft skin and moist pink lips. She wore a nice silk white blouse, and a cotton skirt with black leggings, and matching white shoes.

"You didn't tell me that you have a sister!" Yuma babbled without keeping his voice down. He smiled to her and extended his hand out and she took it. "Hi, I'm Yuma! And you are-"

"Get lost," Ryoga cut in, giving Yuma a fixed glare.

"That's a—hey-!"

Yuma halted in mid sentence when Ryoga's sister placed her hand on his arm and gave her brother a light scowl. "Don't be grumpy. My name is Sophie, and I'm sure you know my brother."

Yuma smiled and nodded his head and let go of Sophie's hand and turned his attention to Ryoga. "Where have you been Sh—Ryoga-?"

"It's none of your business," Ryoga grumbled looking at nothing in particular before he turned and started to walk toward the door, "now come on, Sophie, I still need to show you the rest of the school before the bell rings."

"We can do it together," Yuma suggested. He didn't want to sit and be bored with the project he and his cousin was assigned too. Yuma was more interested in what was going with Ryoga.

"Excuse me," came Astral's voice filled with annoyance. Moments ago, he had gotten up, walked over, and stood next to his cousin. "But _I am_ not doing our part of the project myself, Yuma. The health teacher assigned us to a presentation and it has to be done together. "

Sophie smiled kindly at the two. "Don't worry about us. My brother will take care of everything."

Yuma smiled in return, his expression warm. "Okay. But if you need anything, just let me know."

Sophie gave Yuma and Astral a polite curtsey before turning to follow her brother around the school. "Is Yuma a classmate of yours?"

Ryoga sighed slowly. "No. He's just someone who keeps bugging me during lunch."

Sophie chuckled. Ryoga glanced at his sister and raised a brow wondering what has gotten into her. "I'm sure it's because he wants to be your friend." Ryoga grumbled at this. Sophie frowned with confusion. "You could have some friends, Ryoga, and it wouldn't hurt for you to have one to start with." Ryoga sighed.

The hallway was starting to fill with various students by now—going to their lockers to get what they needed or put their stuff away. The bell rang and Ryoga and Sophie headed to their classes in separate directions.

* * *

><p>Mr. Kay glanced toward the door when it opened to see Yuma yawning and Astral looking a little irritated when they entered the room. "Is everything alright?" he asked Astral watching his two students sit down for third period.<p>

Yuma grumbled. "We have a health project with V and Kaito about the mitoch—the Mitond—"

"The Mitochondrial Diseases," Astral corrected.

"That's a serious disease. You can die from it if your cells don't give you the energy you need to move about, eat, and talk," Mr. Kay explained.

Yuma's eyes widened with shock remembering the whole thing with Kaito and his brother. The bell rang and the rest of the students came in and sat down. In the mix were III, IV, and V. They pulled out their notebooks for math. Mr. Kay got up and he started to hand out two pages of math problems. Yuma worked until the door opened and Sophie stood there, out of breath, like she had been running for a while.

"Oh, hi, Sophie!" Yuma greeted with a smile.

IV was the first to give Yuma a look before averted his gaze to Sophie. He couldn't keep his eyes off her as he felt something for the first time. He clutched his chest, trying to keep his heart from beating.

He had been in various relationships with girls, but his lack of understanding social skills and personal boundaries led him to some serious trouble since the age of four.

Sophie stood there for a moment to catch her breath. She walked to the front of the class and bowed in front of the teacher. "I'm sorry that I'm late, Mr. Kay!"

The math teacher smiled. "That's okay. I talked your brother before-hand, so I was expecting you to come in at this time."

Sophie let out a sigh of relief letting her shoulders relax. She turned and smiled when she realized that Yuma was in the same class, and she took a seat next to him. Sophie pulled out her notebook and went right to work. Yuma watched her for a moment. He wanted to ask her questions, so he tore a strip of paper off and started to write some things down.

"Alright class, it's time to wrap up of what you have done with math and take it home for homework if you're not finished."

Half of the class groaned and started to put their things into their school bags. Sophie, Astral, and V got up and went over to hand their assignment to Mr. Kay. Sophie turned to see that most of the class was empty, but three—IV, Yuma and Astral. Yuma was still sitting at his desk, and Astral was waiting for him to be done with his math problem.

IV was at the door, ready for her to approach him. Sophie took a moment to take in his features. He wore a fine white long trench coat with a gold trim down the front. His creamy colored soft skin was soft, and reddish eyes that had no emotion. He two-colored hair that was blonde on the left side, and dark purple color on the right side was parted on either side of his head.

Astral was the first to notice IV trying to get Sophie's attention with a sweet smile. Yuma noticed it too and narrowed his eyes as he watched Sophie walk toward the door. IV reached out to kiss Sophie's hand when another hand grasped his. IV snapped his head to the left to see Ryoga standing there with intense look in his eyes.

IV smiled, not fazed with Ryoga's stone expression. "You didn't tell me that you have a cute sister."

Ryoga narrowed his eyes. "We should get going, Sophie," he said, letting go of IV's arm.

"And we should get going too," came V's voice, he was standing on the other side of Ryoga, "III is waiting for us."

Yuma blinked a few times and just remembered that it was lunch, his face lit up as he went after Ryoga when IV and his brother went the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Yuma caught up with Ryoga and Sophie and walked ahead; he turned and started to walk backwards putting his hands behind his head. "Can I have lunch with you guys?"

Ryoga stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. "I guess."

Yuma's face lit up with excitement before he lost his footing and he fell on his butt forcing Ryoga and his sister to stop walking when they realized that Yuma still hadn't gotten up. "I'm okay!" He reassured, getting to his feet and scratching the back of head with embarrassment blushing. "Shall we get going? I'm hungry!"

Sophie giggled, she had to admit that Yuma had a lot of positive energy radiating off his body and he was cute. Ryoga sighed, his thoughts not too far off with his sisters.

To Be Continued …


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